Hammer control for tabulating machines



July 8 1924. 1,501,004

C. D. LAKE HAMMER CONTROL FOR TABULATING MACHINES Filed March 6, 1922 IN1/EN Tok. Lal/(L ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 8, 1924.I

UNITED vs'TATEs PATENT e oFFlcE.

CLAIR D. LAKE, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T THE TAB'ULATING MACHINE COMPANY, OF ENDICOTT, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

HAMMER CONTROL FOR TABULATING MACHINES.

Application led Hard-1.6, 1922. Serial No. 541,437.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAIR D. LAKE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Binghamton, in the county of Broome andState of New York, .have in-v vented certain new and useful Improvements'in Hammer Controls for Tabulating Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

In printing tabulators of the general type shown in my prior Patent No. 1,379,268, a plurality of typecarriers are provided, each of which is provided with a slidable type bar. The printing operation is effected by a plurality of hammers which are simultaneously swung so as to react upon the type or upon blank points upon the type carriers.

' The type thus struck strikes a type ribbon and print proper characters upon a record 2o sheet. e

With devices of this sort it is deslrable to provide means for controlling thel action of combinations of the vhammers so as to suppress the printing of characters at selected points upon the sheet. The presentinvention is directed to the provision of a hammer control of this character which may b'e selectively adjusted to render one or more type hammers inefficient.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 shows a vertical sectional view of a tabulator embodying my improvements.-

Fig. 2 shows a detail top view of one group of hammer locks and their associated' parts. Y

Fig. 3 is a detail slde view of the same parts.

' Referring to Fig. 1, 10 represents one of the type carriers. These carriers are slt-A ted to receive individually slidable type 11 and the carriers are differentially displaced at each operation by the means'described in my prior patent. To effect the printing, a plurality of pivotally mounted hammers 12 are provided. These hammers are normally and are spring retracted by springs 13 swun into contact with-the type y means of a ail 14. Bail 14 is pivotally mounted upon a shaft 15 and is normally impelled to move to the position shown in Fig., 1 by means of a spring 16. Movement of the bail counter clockwise is limited by a stop,

17 against which depending finger portions 18 abut.n 5 j During a printing operation, pawl devices 19 are carried 'bodily upward causing shouldered portions thereon to contact with the sleeved shaft 17 so as to cause the pawls to be rocked counterclockwise and into en- .the same against the type 11.

Inorder to selectivelyl suppress the action of one or more of'thehammers, provision yis made for swinging the hammers slightly for- Ward outl of their normal position so that bail 14 upon its striking movement does not reacty thereon. Preferably the hammer con trols comprise a series of linger members 20 arranged in groups and pivotally mounted upon a shaft-21. The shaft 21 is mounted 1n bracket 24 which is secured to frame member 23.l The finger members 20 .are provided with shouldered portions 22 and 25- adapted to abut against or engage a frame member 23. 'By swinging these lingers 20 I clockwise from the position marked A to the B Vposition the tips ofthe lingers will engage the backs of the hammersV and swing the same forward to such position as not to rel ceive the impact of bail 14. Theshouldered abutments 22 limit the movement of the lingers 20v in their non hammer engaging poslti'on, and the shoulder portion 25 is adapted tovlimit their movement in the opposite direction. l

It will be understood that tabulating machines of the type herein mentioned usually comprise a' plurality of typel carriers arranged in groups. Bv selectively shifting the hammer controlling fingers' from the A.A l

to the B position, the action of individual type or complete groups of type may be suppressed as `desired' by thel operator. The hammer controls herein described are simple in theiif'use andinexepensive tomanufacture. Furthermore, the use of unnecessary springs upon themembers is avoided and the devices are retained in noneifective or hammer controlling position by gravity. I claim: 1. In a tabulating machine, a plurality of utype, and carriers therefor, a plurality of pivotally mounted hammers, an impacting' means therefor, and means for selectively displacing one or more of the said hammers out of the path of said means when it 1s .desired to suppress the printing from one or more type. Y

l 2.l In a tabulating machine, a plurality of pivotally mounted type hammers, a plurality of type carriers and type carried there-` by, a common actuatingme'ans for the type hammers, each of said hammers normally being in the path of said actuator, means v,

for preventing printing by one or more of the type comprising means for suppresslng the striking of one or more of the hammers by the actuator, said last mentioned means comprising a pluralityl of' independently movable members each having provisions for independently displacing a hammer out of the path ,of the actuating means.

3. In a tabulating machine, including type carriers, a plurality of type, a plurality of hammers therefor, means .'for suppressing the lhammer action upon selected type comprising a plurality of pivoted lingers adapted to be displaced into or out of contact with said hammers, said ngers` weight of said suppressing devices for retaining the same 1n non suppressing position relatively to said hammers.

5. In a tabulating machine, in combina- 'tion with printing type and hammers there-v type carrier, an actuating means having a` determined amount of travel 'to impact against said hammers and cause the same to react upon the type, a pluralityy of pivoted vfingers shiftable into or out of contact with the said hammers, said lingers when in' contactv with said hammers being adapted to swing the same out of the path of travel of the actuating means and thereby suppress the operation of (certain type.

.7. In a printing apparatus'comprising a plurality of type carriers' and type therein, a plurality of hammers for individually striking said type, a common actuator for all said hammers to impel the same against thev type,

andmeans for individually displacing one or more of said hammers out of the path of said actuator whereby the movement of any one or moreof the hammers may be supprtessed.

In testimony whereof I hereto aiiix Inyl signature.

` CLAIR D. LAKE. 

